17 Weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 17 Weeks

Size of babies: Baby A & B are the size of sweet potatoes

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing some of my pre pregnancy tops but they are snug. I am wearing maternity bottoms!

Genders: Can't wait to find out on October 4th!

Movement: Pretty sure the 1st time was on September 9th. Last week they became somewhat more frequent but not as much as I would like to feel them.

Sleep: I'm tired but not as bad as I was the first 15 weeks .

What I miss: coffee in the morning with Kris ,skinnier feet and hands and exercise.

Cravings: Not many but sometimes spicy foods.

Symptoms: Terrible acne, forgetfulness and weight gain

Double Blessings!!!!

On June 18, 2010 we found out they we were PREGNANT!!!!!! I called our nurse around 11 am and she told me that she had just gotten our results from the blood test I took that morning. She said the she would like to be the first one to congratulate us on our pregnancy. Thinking about that moment I get chills and my eyes are filled with tears as I type this. We knew God would provide a family for us but I didn't know that I would get to carry our own children. How precious are his blessings!

For the next three weeks I went every 3 days to draw my blood to make sure my numbers were doubling like they should be. They were, in fact they were always a little higher than expected each time. Kris and I were on cloud 9 and could not wait for our first ultrasound which was on July 9, 2010. On July 9th we drove down to Austin for our appointment to be able to see a precious heartbeat. While waiting in the room for the doctor to come Kris and I could not stop smiling and talking about our excitement. The doctor came in and said "lets see what we can find". Let me tell you first that I knew what to look for because I have seen plenty of ultrasound pictures between family, friends and the Internet. So right away I saw two round circles that looked like sacs to hold babies. I barley started asking my question if there were two babies when the doctor cut me off to ask if we were fine with TWO BABIES! I soooooo wish I had a camera to capture our faces, we were over joyed. I looked over to Kris and his expression melted my heart. Not only did we see two babies but also saw and heard two healthy heartbeats. Baby A measured 6weeks6days with 119 heartbeat bpm and Baby B measured 6weeks5days with a heartbeat at 124bpm. Below are some pictures I have so far, they are not the best because they are from my phone camera.

My first pregnancy test I took on my own after finding out my blood test results. I had to see a positive test after years of negative ones.


Their very first picture, three days after conception!


First Ultrasound on July 9, 2010


Baby A on July, 15, 2010 measured 7weeks5days with 150bpm.


Baby B on July, 15, 2010 measured 7weeks5days with 150bpm.


Baby B on August 2, 2010


Baby A on August 2, 2010


10 weeks


11 Weeks


12 weeks



13 Weeks


14 weeks


15 weeks



Thank you God for answered prayers, your unconditional love and support. Thank you family and friends for your love and prayers. We felt covered with it all.

Eggs, Eggs & more Eggs

I have been so busy with the end of school and the remodel that I have not been able to post any updates like I promised. Well I officially have two grapefruits in my female reproductive area or at least it feels like I do, which is a good thing! I have had several doctor appointments from the last post. They have been monitoring my estrodiol levels and follicle production which have all been great. Last night I took my hcg trigger shot and I go in tomorrow morning at 7:15 for egg retrieval. Tomorrow they will also fertilize the eggs. Please pray that God is with everyone who is handling our eggs and that God be in controll of the fertilization process. We should know tomorrow how many eggs were retrieved and how many of them are mature to fertilize. We will not get the fertilization report until Sunday. The next step is embryo transfer which will be 3 days or 5 days after egg retrieval. That decision is made depending on how many fertilize and how well the embryos are doing. Please, please pray for us.

Smooth Start and Early Blessings!

At the end of last week the pharmacy called to set up shipping for all of my medicines and to collect payment. Our insurance does not cover anything that has to do with infertility so the medicines along with all the procedures are very costly. They still turn it in to insurance because sometimes there are smaller medicines such a pain killers that they will cover. So they called to confirm my address and then told me my total. I was in shock, my insurance covered all of my medicine I just had to pay the copayments. I have been praying and asking God that if this is a part of his will for us to show me by making the whole process easy. I automaticly knew that this was from God. I am not for sure of what the outcome of our in vitro will be or of his plans but I have a peace no matter what. I know that God is with us through this whole process.


Monday we went for our pre Lupron sonogram. They check to make sure that I don't have any cyst on my ovaries before I start taking my Lupron shots. I was CLEAR!!!!! Last time I had one and had to wait two weeks before I could start. I am now on day two of the Lupron shots. My next appointment is next Wednesday, they will do a sonogram to see if I look ok to start my Gonal F shots. Those shots will are the stimulants that get my eggs ready. This week my prayer request would be that God continues to fill us with peace and that everything would be clear for me to start my next set of shots.

Hello Again!

It has been a while that I have posted anything but I have been so busy. I am planning to to start blogging again for a couple of reasons. One reason is we are about to start major remodeling at our house and I am sooooo excited, can't wait to share the progress of it. Another reason it to share my journey of infertility. It will be great therapy for me, a way to keep friends informed of our journey and what specific prayers we might need and I never know who might visit my blog that I can minister to.

We are in the beginning of our second round of In Vitro, YEAH!!! We tried our first one last summer and it ended in a miscarriage. I was very sad that it ended that way because we had prayed sooo hard for a baby. At the same time I was so excited to know that I could get pregnant and to see a positive pregnancy test. After years of negative pregnancy test it was great to see positive. I wanted to buy a whole bunch just to see positive after positive but Kris thought the handful I took where enough.

Last summer I had surgery to remove uterine polyps and endometriosis. I had an HSG which is a dye test to make sure nothing has come back that would be in the way of a baby. The results came back clear. I have a pre lupron sonogram on Monday. If I don't have any ovarian cyst then I will be able to start the first round of shots on Monday. So this would be my first prayer request. Last time I had one and had to wait two weeks before I started. I will hopefully have good news on Monday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRISTOPHER!!!!

I want to wish my amazing husband a Happy 30th Birthday!!!

Wait

WAIT by Russell Kelfer Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried; Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied. I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . . And the Master so gently said, "Wait." "Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply. "Lord, I need answers, I need to know why! Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard? By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word. "My future and all to which I relate Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait? I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign, Or even a 'no' to which I can resign. "You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe, We need but to ask, and we shall receive. And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry: I'm weary of asking! I need a reply." Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate, As my Master replied again, "Wait." So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut, And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?" He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . . and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign. I could shake the heavens and darken the sun. I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run. "I could give all you seek and pleased you would be. You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me. You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint. You'd not know the power that I give to the faint. "You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair; You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there. You'd not know the joy of resting in Me When darkness and silence are all you can see. "You'd never experience the fullness of love When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove. You would know that I give, and I save, for a start, But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart. "The glow of my comfort late into the night, The faith that I give when you walk without sight. The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask From an infinite God who makes what you have last. "You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee, What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee. Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true, But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you. "So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me. And though oft My answers seem terribly late, My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."